I was born in Faro, on May 9, 1983, but I grew up in Monchique, Portugal. I played football and practiced Karate since the early age of 10. Later, I studied Sports Sciences (BSc + MSc) at Faculdade de Motricidade Humana in Lisbon. I became a physical education teacher and a football coach (UEFA B license). Nowadays, I am working at Município de Monchique in my home town, and I am a football lecturer at Instituto Superior Manuel Teixeira Gomes (ISMAT) and a member of CIDEFES - Centro de Investigação em Desporto, Educação Física, Exercício e Saúde (Universidade Lusófona, Lisboa).
My favourite research topics are: 1) performance analysis in football (e.g. home advantage, contextual variables, game criticality, etc.); 2) effects of different small-sided and conditioned games on skill acquisition; 3) learning process and expertise development in sport.
My favourite research topics are: 1) performance analysis in football (e.g. home advantage, contextual variables, game criticality, etc.); 2) effects of different small-sided and conditioned games on skill acquisition; 3) learning process and expertise development in sport.
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Defensive action can decisively affect football match performance. However, there has been limited translation of the existing academic literature into improvement in applied practice. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review of the literature to: (1) identify defence-related variables commonly linked to positive/negative performance outcomes, and thereby improve understanding of their potential applications; (2) determine potentially useful directions for future research.
Methods
We searched the databases SPORTDiscus, PubMed and Web of Knowledge Core Collection in May 2023 for observational studies of adult male, football defence-related data, gathered from 2004 onwards at official international or domestic elite-level competitions. Each of the 119 papers was scored for quality according to a 14-item checklist, which itself was based on the Critical Review Form. The findings were organised according to two major themes: (1) variables used in defensive performance analysis and (2) methodological issues and future avenues of research.
Results
Research found teams to vary the game styles that they had adopted, to decrease their spatial occupation of the pitch, and to increase intrateam movement synchronisation whilst defending. Given the research findings, regaining possession higher-up the pitch, whilst maintaining a balanced positioning and opting for an “intense” approach, appears advisable.
Conclusion
A notable research–practice gap was identified. To better address coaches’ “everyday concerns”, future research should (1) become more “process-oriented”, (2) acknowledge the specificities of certain subareas of the pitch, and (3) involve improved processing of spatial–temporal data.
negligible correlation (rs = −0.02, p = 0.85) between the size of the increase and the change in HA was found. It was concluded that there is no consistent evidence that a change of stadium significantly affects the HA of professional football teams; nevertheless, there is likely to be a positive impact on revenue because of increased crowd support and interest from the local community. Building a new and modern stadium is a positive strategy that can be adopted by football clubs without the expectation of change in HA.
increases in the odds of penalty kicks being saved when (1) shots were directed to the centre-left zones compared to the right zones (penalty taker’s perspective), (2) shots were directed to the low zones of the goal and (3) goalkeepers dived to the correct side of the ball. In addition, the probability of missing the target or hitting the goalpost/crossbar significantly increased when shots aimed the high zones of the goal. Noteworthy, the risk of a penalty being saved when the shot was directed to the bottom zones of the goal outweighed the “miss factor” of shooting high. These findings enable coaches to develop optimal strategies for taking and saving penalty kicks, thus increasing the likelihood of both players to succeed in competitive matches, regardless of individual attributes and/or casual competitive circumstances.
Purpose: To examine the effects of geographical location (north; centre-north; centre-south; south; islands), team quality (top-ranked; middle-ranked; bottom-ranked) and playing position (goalkeeper; defender; midfielder; forward) on the birthdate distribution (Q1: January-March; Q2: April-June; Q3: July-September; Q4: October-December) of U14 Portuguese players selected for the national inter-association tournament Lopes da Silva.
Methods: A total of 2,693 players (mean age: 14.12 ± 0.38 years), selected by the 22 regional football associations for the last seven editions of the tournament (2013–2019), were included in the sample.
Results: Chi-square analysis showed a small to medium RAE in the U14 cohort compared to the general Portuguese male population (p < .01). Furthermore, the multinomial logistic regression model revealed that the probabilities of selecting Q1 players (vs. Q4) differed (p < .01) based on geographical location (increases of 76.3% in the north and 87.3% in the centre-north zone compared to the regional teams from islands) and team quality (increase of 94.6% in top-ranked compared to bottom-ranked regional teams). The playing position did not affect the magnitude of RAE.
Conclusion: Our findings confirm that besides being present in U14 Portuguese male football, the magnitude of RAE is influenced by demographic factors. This study also supports the notion that coaching staffs tend to choose players based on attributes associated with chronological age, seeking to achieve short-term competitive outcomes.
serve several purposes as specific means of training. However, the manipulation of game format should always consider the players’ individual constraints.
Defensive action can decisively affect football match performance. However, there has been limited translation of the existing academic literature into improvement in applied practice. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review of the literature to: (1) identify defence-related variables commonly linked to positive/negative performance outcomes, and thereby improve understanding of their potential applications; (2) determine potentially useful directions for future research.
Methods
We searched the databases SPORTDiscus, PubMed and Web of Knowledge Core Collection in May 2023 for observational studies of adult male, football defence-related data, gathered from 2004 onwards at official international or domestic elite-level competitions. Each of the 119 papers was scored for quality according to a 14-item checklist, which itself was based on the Critical Review Form. The findings were organised according to two major themes: (1) variables used in defensive performance analysis and (2) methodological issues and future avenues of research.
Results
Research found teams to vary the game styles that they had adopted, to decrease their spatial occupation of the pitch, and to increase intrateam movement synchronisation whilst defending. Given the research findings, regaining possession higher-up the pitch, whilst maintaining a balanced positioning and opting for an “intense” approach, appears advisable.
Conclusion
A notable research–practice gap was identified. To better address coaches’ “everyday concerns”, future research should (1) become more “process-oriented”, (2) acknowledge the specificities of certain subareas of the pitch, and (3) involve improved processing of spatial–temporal data.
negligible correlation (rs = −0.02, p = 0.85) between the size of the increase and the change in HA was found. It was concluded that there is no consistent evidence that a change of stadium significantly affects the HA of professional football teams; nevertheless, there is likely to be a positive impact on revenue because of increased crowd support and interest from the local community. Building a new and modern stadium is a positive strategy that can be adopted by football clubs without the expectation of change in HA.
increases in the odds of penalty kicks being saved when (1) shots were directed to the centre-left zones compared to the right zones (penalty taker’s perspective), (2) shots were directed to the low zones of the goal and (3) goalkeepers dived to the correct side of the ball. In addition, the probability of missing the target or hitting the goalpost/crossbar significantly increased when shots aimed the high zones of the goal. Noteworthy, the risk of a penalty being saved when the shot was directed to the bottom zones of the goal outweighed the “miss factor” of shooting high. These findings enable coaches to develop optimal strategies for taking and saving penalty kicks, thus increasing the likelihood of both players to succeed in competitive matches, regardless of individual attributes and/or casual competitive circumstances.
Purpose: To examine the effects of geographical location (north; centre-north; centre-south; south; islands), team quality (top-ranked; middle-ranked; bottom-ranked) and playing position (goalkeeper; defender; midfielder; forward) on the birthdate distribution (Q1: January-March; Q2: April-June; Q3: July-September; Q4: October-December) of U14 Portuguese players selected for the national inter-association tournament Lopes da Silva.
Methods: A total of 2,693 players (mean age: 14.12 ± 0.38 years), selected by the 22 regional football associations for the last seven editions of the tournament (2013–2019), were included in the sample.
Results: Chi-square analysis showed a small to medium RAE in the U14 cohort compared to the general Portuguese male population (p < .01). Furthermore, the multinomial logistic regression model revealed that the probabilities of selecting Q1 players (vs. Q4) differed (p < .01) based on geographical location (increases of 76.3% in the north and 87.3% in the centre-north zone compared to the regional teams from islands) and team quality (increase of 94.6% in top-ranked compared to bottom-ranked regional teams). The playing position did not affect the magnitude of RAE.
Conclusion: Our findings confirm that besides being present in U14 Portuguese male football, the magnitude of RAE is influenced by demographic factors. This study also supports the notion that coaching staffs tend to choose players based on attributes associated with chronological age, seeking to achieve short-term competitive outcomes.
serve several purposes as specific means of training. However, the manipulation of game format should always consider the players’ individual constraints.
Objectives: This follow-up study examined the effects of situational (season, match location, match status, match period, and team quality), individual (penalty taker’s position, playing status, footedness, and age difference to the goalkeeper), and performance factors (shot direction and goalkeeper’s action) on penalty-kick outcomes (goal, saved, or missed) in the Portuguese First League over the last decade.
Methodology: Penalty kicks awarded in the Portuguese First League from 2013/2014 to 2022/2023 (n=1,059) were notated post-event, considering the performance factors and the penalty outcome. Situational and individual factors were sourced from https://www.zerozero.pt. A multinomial logistic regression model estimated the penalty outcome probabilities based on main effects of each factor.
Results and discussion: The regression model uncovered significantly increased odds (p≤0.05) of penalty kicks being saved in the 2022/23 season (vs. 2018/19 and 2019/20), for similar-ranked teams, for shots directed to centre-left zones (vs. right) and aiming low zones of the goal (vs. high), and when goalkeepers dived to the side of the ball. Furthermore, the probability of missing the penalty significantly increased (p≤0.05) in the 2022/23 season (vs. 2015/16, 2018/19, and 2021/22), and when shots aimed the high zones (vs. low). Markedly, the risk of penalties being saved when shooting low surpassed the “miss factor” of shooting high.
Conclusions: Performance factors are indeed decisive for penalty outcomes, yet contextual factors may also play a role. These findings aid coaches in devising optimal penalty strategies, thus enhancing success rates for both players in competitive matches.